When she’s not helping the Lady Tigers Varsity basketball team pull out a region win, senior Kati Brady is often helping others in her community.

Since she was a little girl, Bardy has been a member of Harmony Baptist Church in Dawsonville and has participated in many mission trips throughout her life. The church has gone to Kentucky, Mississippi and Louisiana to host Vacation Bible School and it’s an experience Brady always enjoys.

“It’s been a great experience going there and seeing all the kids and getting to meet different people and help them with their walk even though they’re in a different state than us,” said Brady.

Another church has since taken over the mission trips, but that hasn’t stopped Brady from continuing to help wherever she can.

In the summer of 2019, Brady plans to go on a medical mission trip to Honduras with several women from her church.

“I feel like that would be a good way for me to use the knowledge and gifts God has blessed me with to use them overseas to help somebody else,” said Brady.

Brady, a dual enrollment student at the University of North Georgia, is currently working towards her goal of going into premed after she graduates high school.

After overcoming injuries in her sports career, she has been inspired to help others regain their strength and get back where they want to be through physical therapy.

During the end of her sophomore basketball career, Brady was diagnosed with mono, strep and pneumonia all at once. The pneumonia also developed into pleurisy. She was diagnosed in March and didn’t feel like she fully recovered until August.

“That’s been my hardest injury to overcome because it was such a long time period and it was one of those things where you couldn’t see it,” said Brady.

Since then, she’s been driven to help other people overcome their obstacles by interning with a personal trainer and learning how to modify exercises.

She wants to specialize in cardiac rehabilitation after the loss of her grandfather two years ago, who died shortly after open heart surgery. Since his passing, Brady has become involved with the Explorer’s Program at Northside Forsyth where she goes once a month to explore different areas of the hospital. So far, she has seen the behind the scenes of the cardiology, endoscopy and ER areas.

“I feel like that would be a good way for me to help people and get to know their story and not just have like clients, you know, to get in touch with people,” said Brady. “I feel like that would be a good career.”

Brady is currently undecided on her college career as she is still trying to figure out if she would rather go to Berry College or Reinhardt University. She has academic scholarships to both schools. She is looking into the WinShape Christian program at Berry and a women’s leadership program at Reinhardt.

In the local community, Brady helps with Meals by Grace as often as she can. Through her church and the school system, Meals by Grace delivers food to families with kids in the school system that are in need.

“That’s been a really good experience for in the community, kind of reaching out and helping people right here in the school system,” Brady said.